03 October 2013 / by Radmila Gurkova

Barcelona vs. Madrid: Where should I do my TEFL in Spain?

Barcelona and Madrid are Spain's largest, most popular and most exciting cities, boasting Spain's two best football teams. When considering doing a TEFL course in Spain, most people as a consequence look to graduating in either Barcelona or Madrid, cosmopolitan cities where there are more employment opportunities.

In this post, we hope to outline the major pros and cons of each city to help you decide which is more suitable for you and your future career.

Barcelona

The city: Barcelona boasts above most things, such as its architecture, culture, food and nightlife, the coast and the mountains. There's never a dull day or night in a city which is absolutely buzzing with things to do, places to see and people to chat to. The Sagrada Familia's ceiling has just been completed and has been known to bring tears to visitors' eyes. For a major city, it's actually quite small and after a couple of days becomes relatively easy to navigate around. Very helpful for those who don't speak the language.

The area: Barcelona is just 2 hours away from the Pyrenees and 30 minutes from the gorgeous Costa Brava. Visiting some of the seaside towns towards the south, such as Sitges and the north such as Figueres is really worth it for a great weekend, especially as the beaches are much nicer than the city's. It has it all in terms of what nature has to offer.

TEFL: TEFL in Barcelona is huge. Pretty much everybody you meet in Barcelona who speaks English is an English teacher. The market is massive and with the amount of foreigners in this cosmopolitan city the competition for employment is growing. Academies are looking for TEFL certified native teachers now to fit their students' growing demands. Barcelona, sharing a border with France, is more of an 'international' city than Madrid, and thus has many more students looking to learn English; either to move away, increase their employability, or take their business further.

Madrid

The city: Madrid has been described as 'puro España', situated in the heart of Spain. For a real feel of the wealth of culture and tradition Spain has to offer, Madrid is the place. It's better value for money than "touristy" Barcelona, offering lovely dinners that aren't in your face sangria and paella "offers". It's got an incredible nightlife for all ages and tastes. On top of this, Madrid's two most famous museums (including the Prado) have two free nights a week. Madrid is huge, and the longer you stay the more you find it has to offer.

The area: Segovia and Toledo. Most towns surrounding Madrid are beautiful and interesting, boasting tons of history and gorgeous food. Well worth a visit.

TEFL: TEFL in Madrid is just starting to gain real prominence. There are nowhere near as many academies or schools as Barcelona but they are growing substantially. Madrid is great for in-company and business English classes, which gain more revenue. In Madrid, a teacher is likely to work less hours and make more money, especially if they are TEFL certified.

Conclusion: If you're looking to do your TEFL course in the summer months - June to September - look to Barcelona to get the best summer experience ever without having to suffer the stifling heat of Madrid. Otherwise, Madrid takes the crown. It's the capital, yet for TEFL it's up and coming. There are many, many more employment opportunities, while in Barcelona now TEFL is becoming very competitive. Fundamentally though, it comes down to which city suits you best. At the end of the day, now Spain has the AVE, you can go between the two easily if you feel you've made the wrong decision!

22

November 2011

Spain election victor Rajoy warns ‘no miracles’

by Radmila Gurkova

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsUQvKS6x74 Conservatives in Spain are celebrating a landslide victory. Spain's Popular Party leader Mariano Rajoy has told supporters their country's voice must be respected again, after a resounding election win. At the end of a campaign dominated by the debt crisis, the centre right PP secured 186 seats i...

21

November 2011

English tips #9 The tip of the iceberg

by Radmila Gurkova

What does the iceberg expression mean? THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG Example: 'He acknowledges the Occupy Wall Street movement for exposing the inequalities in society, wa...

21

November 2011

Countdown! The famous contest in your topics

by Radmila Gurkova

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTm4riLuEZk Countdown This famous show has been on TV for many years. In 1991, a Spanish version of the show was released, called Cifras y Letras (numbers and letters). The aim of the game is to come up with the longest word possible, using the 9 available l...

21

November 2011

This week in your classes - Raj Rajaratnam jailed for 11 years for insider trading. The famous money scandal turns into a topic in your classes

by Radmila Gurkova

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nAYAnwWsfQ Raj Rajaratnam, a former billionaire described by the government as "the modern face of illegal insider trading" was sentenced Thursday to 11 years in prison, the longest insider trading sentence ever. A former hedge-fund manager has been sentenced to 11 years in jail for one of t...

18

November 2011

English tips #8 - Confusing words ?????

by Radmila Gurkova

LIBRARY/BOOKCASE/BOOKSHOP Library - I went to the library to study. ...

17

November 2011

English tips #7 - What is the difference between i.e. and e.g.?

by Radmila Gurkova

i.e. – that is e.g. – for example examples: i.e. - We will have caramel corn, roasted pumpkin seeds, witches' brew and ghost cookies on this spooky night, i.e., Halloween. e.g...

16

November 2011

English tips #6 - For and to

by Radmila Gurkova

For + Noun To + verb To talk about purpose of an action FOR example: I am going to London for an interview TO example: I have come to Barcelona to see friends ...

16

November 2011

Lesbian actress thrown off plane after kiss

by Radmila Gurkova

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDV9x_B8mmE An actress who starred in "The L Word" has ignited a firestorm after claiming she was marched off a Southwest Airline flight for a lesbian kiss. Leisha Hailey called for a boycott of the carrier after a flight attendant told them that a passen...

15

November 2011

TED Talk-Justin Hall-Tipping: Freeing energy from the grid

by Radmila Gurkova

httpv://youtu.be/rsuB-6-n-MM Why can't we solve these problems? We know what they are. Something always seems to stop us. Why? I remember March the 15th, 2000. The B15 iceberg broke off the Ross Ice Shelf. In the newspaper it said "it was all part of a normal process." A little bit further on in the article it said "a loss that would normall...

15

November 2011

English Tips #5 - Lending / Borrowing

by Radmila Gurkova

Do you know the difference between lend and borrow? Borrow – to take something that belongs to somebody else. Example: Can I borrow your umbrella? ...

Inicio

Contact us

03 October 2013 / by Radmila Gurkova

Barcelona vs. Madrid: Where should I do my TEFL in Spain?

22

21

21

21

18

17

16

16

15

15